The present invention relates to a braking device particularly usable for skates which comprise a shoe composed of a quarter which is articulated to a shell which is in turn associated with a supporting frame for two or more wheels.
Currently, in conventional roller skates, whether constituted by a shoe associated with a support for two pairs of mutually parallel wheels or by a shoe associated with a supporting frame for two or more in-line wheels, the problem is felt of braking the wheels in order to be able to adjust the speed of the skate.
Accordingly, it is known to use pads or blocks, usually made of rubber, which are arranged at the tip or heel region of the shoe. When the skater tilts the shoe forwards or backwards, the free end of the pads or blocks interacts with the ground and braking is accordingly achieved.
However, these solutions have some drawbacks, since the user has to rotate the shoe, and therefore the frame associated therewith, at the tip or heel, and this can cause loss of balance and consequent falls.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,402,010 discloses a roller skate provided with a strap which can be fastened on the user""s leg above the malleolar region, a rod being connected to the strap. The rod wraps around the leg in the rear region and is then curved so as to laterally affect the leg until it is associated, at its ends in the malleolar region, with a lever system which is articulated to a structure which protrudes from the wheel, supporting frame. Said lever system protrudes to the rear of the frame and is connected to a plate which is shaped approximately complementarily to the curvature of part of an underlying and facing wheel.
This solution is not free from drawbacks: first of all, a relative motion is produced between the strap and the leg throughout sports practice, and this makes it uncomfortable to use due to the continuous friction of the strap against the leg.
Additionally, the plate is actuated whenever the user bends his/her leg backwards beyond a given angle and there is no practical and easy way to alter this condition.
Moreover, each user has a specific leg shape and therefore braking is achieved at different rotation angles, given an equal length of the rod.
Moreover, said rod acts and presses in the malleolar region and this can cause discomfort or lead to accidental impacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,895 discloses a brake for skates having two pairs of mutually parallel wheels which acts at the rear wheels.
Said brake is constituted by a flap which is associated with the shoe in the rear region; a blade is associated with said flap in a rear region and is pivoted at the shoe supporting frame.
Said blade has, at its free end, a transverse element on which two C-shaped elements are formed at the lateral ends; following a backward rotation applied to the flap, said C-shaped elements interact with the rear wheels that face them, in that they interact with their rolling surface.
However, also this solution has drawbacks: it is in fact structurally complicated and is therefore difficult to industrialize; moreover, adapted springs are necessary to reposition the flap in the condition in which the C-shaped elements do not interact with the wheels, and this further increases structural complexity.
Moreover, the structural configuration of the brake causes the pair of C-shaped elements to interact with the wheel even in case of a minimal backward rotation applied to the flap and therefore even in case of involuntary movements; this causes unintended braking and therefore possible loss of balance and lack of coordination.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,781 discloses a braking device for skates comprising mutually parallel wheel pairs.
Accordingly, it comprises a brake which is constituted by a blade which is transversely pivoted at the rear end of the frame for supporting a shoe; pads are associated with the ends of said blade and face the rolling surface of the pair of rear wheels.
The brake is actuated by using a cable which is adapted to rotate the blade, in contrast with a spring associated with the support for the pair of front wheels, so as to place the pads in contact with the rolling surface of the pair of rear wheels.
Said cable can be actuated by means of rings or handles which are associated with a band arranged on the legs of the user by way of the presence of temporary connection means.
However, this solution has considerable drawbacks: first of all, actuation of the brake may cause loss of balance during sports practice, since the user does not assume, with his/her body, a position which is adapted to control the sudden speed reduction, because only the skater""s hand is involved in the actuation of the brake.
Moreover, if the user is wearing pants or trousers, when the rings are pulled the band may slide on the pants or make them slide along the leg, hindering the braking action.
Moreover, there is a loose cable which in addition to being a hindrance to the skater can accidentally catch during speed skating, especially since coordination of the arm-leg movement causes said legs to move rhythmically and laterally outwards.
U.S. Ser. No. 09/351,004 filed Jul. 20, 1999 discloses a braking device particularly for skates which comprise a shoe composed of a quarter which is articulated to a shell which is associated with a supporting frame for two or more wheels, comprising a soft strap which connects the quarter to a braking element which is freely pivoted to said frame at the pivoting axis of the last wheel. The strap is associated with the quarter at a first end, is then guided on a means which is fixed to the shell, made to slide thereon and/or on the surface of an innerboot, and is connected, at a second end, to a tab which protrudes from the braking element in a region that lies above the last wheel; the braking element oscillates in contrast with at least one flexible element.
Also this solution has drawbacks, since the path of the soft strap has many bends which cause the overall efficiency of the device to be very low; the presence of said bends in fact entails the dissipation, in the form of friction, of most of the force applied by the user to the quarter.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks noted above in conventional devices by providing a braking device for skates which is highly efficient from the functional point of view, structurally very simple and easy to industrialize and at the same time allows complete freedom of forward motion of the quarter.
An important object of the present invention is to provide a braking device which is highly effective in transmitting forces from the quarter to the braking element and also has limited rearward dimensions, accordingly allowing optimum attention to the overall aesthetic styling of the skate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which the user can actuate when really necessary and therefore not accidentally.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a braking device which can be actuated rapidly, simply and safely by the user without said user having to perform movements, for example with his hands, which compromise his balance or coordination.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which associates with the preceding characteristics that of being reliable and safe in use, has low manufacturing costs, and can also be applied to conventional skates.
This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a braking device, particularly for skates comprising a shoe composed of a quarter which is articulated to a shell associated with a supporting frame for two or more wheels, and comprising at least one traction element which is connected at one end to a tab which protrudes from a braking element which is located in a region which is adjacent to a last wheel and oscillates in contrast with at least one flexible element, characterized in that said at least one traction element is associated, at its other end, with at least one lever articulated to said shell and slidingly associated with said quarter, said at least one lever being adapted to take up said traction element when said quarter oscillates backwards so as to actuate said braking element.